Time Skip
by A and A Pikachu Prime
Summary: What if you were told that only you could change the future? To keep it from following its doomed path?  What if you were given a flower that meant everything to one of the Autobots? Literally everything? Well, William Lennox is about to find out.
1. Will Learns

Thank you to Challenger2011 for being my beta-reader for this story. You're amazing. If anyone has any questions, please ask away.

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><p>Her skin was white, as white as the snow after a blizzard. Her hair and her eyes were just as white. She seemed to sparkle with her own light, which helped since she had woken him up in the first place, and the room was still dark.<p>

"William," she rasped. Her voice was scratchy and rough, but sweet, soft, and young. Yet the sole male in the room could almost feel the wisdom radiating from the girl who looked no more than 12 years old. "I need your help. And only yours. I can't explain everything, but my father can. Take my hand and I will bring you to him."

Will found himself reaching for her hand before he could even think about what she was asking. Sparkles of light, in red, green, yellow, and blue filled the room. He had to shut his eyes or risk going blind for good. When he opened them again, he was in a place he didn't recognize.

An old man sat at a white table in a white room. On the table sat a vase with a single flower. Its petals were red and blue with the exact pattern Optimus Prime's armor was decorated with. It was in full bloom and looked absolutely beautiful.

The old man had a beard of white that reached down to lick the table. His eyes were a sparkling blue and laugh lines marked his face. The only thing that didn't seem to fit was the dark circles under his eyes that made him look like he'd never even heard of sleep. The man motioned for Will to take a seat across the table. He did so. "William. I knew you'd come."

"And you are?" Will asked. The young girl took her place at her father's side.

"My children call me Primus. You've already met the Allspark," the man replied. Wills eyes widened since he'd heard each Autobot bring up Primus from time to time. Primus reached out and took the flower into his hand. He cradled the head of it as he held it out towards Will. "Seems familiar, doesn't it?" Will gave a nod. "Good. Good. Because it's now yours to watch over."

"What is it? I've never seen a flower like this before."

"This represents a spark. One in particular. You know exactly who it is."

"Optimus?" Will asked. A smile spread across Primus' face to reveal shining white teeth. Will looked down at the flower's blossom. Inside he could see Ratchet speaking with Optimus. Ratchet was grinning and gave a gentle shove to Optimus' shoulder. The Autobot leader laughed without sound before turning with a wave towards the door. Will focused back on Primus. "What do I do with this?" Primus dropped his smile.

"That, my boy, is where things get difficult. That flower is yours now. Protect it with your life since it really is his. You'll need it for the job I'm giving you. Sparks, why don't you tell him about what he has to do?" The Allspark moved over to the seat beside Will, and placed her hands gently on his.

"First, a history lesson is needed. All Transformers, Cybertronians, are Primus' children though me. I gave them their life. And so they are also my children. My father's children. But Primes are different. They receive their life through my father alone. They are my brothers. Optimus is my brother. Much like there are two sides to the war, the Autobots and Decepticons, there are two sides here. My father Primus and his brother Unicron. This creates balance. Optimus, like my father, has the title of peace bringer. He shall be the one to bring the war to the end. But some of Megatron's characteristics will begin to show in Optimus since they were raised as brothers. Megatron came from me, while Optimus came from my father," the Allspark informed. Will nodded as he tried to absorb and understand everything she said.

"I cannot meddle with their war. I'm already involving myself too much by speaking to Optimus through what you humans would call dreams. I cannot do more than what I am doing for you," Primus added.

"That flower will be very important during your task. Even after that, you may keep it. It will help you understand the way Optimus works as a being," the Allspark stopped talking with a smile that made Will wonder what she was thinking about. She waved a hand over the flowers petals and Will watched the colors change from flames to a pattern of red than blue petal by petal. The image of Optimus changed so that he looked much younger. The Allspark gained a fond look on her face. "This was when he was a youngling around Annabelle's age. A special time for Optimus, indeed." Will saw why. Even without words, he could tell that this was the first time he ever met Ironhide and Ratchet – his closest friends. The colors faded then into a bright silver that sparkled in the light both the Allspark and Primus gave off. This time the image was of Optimus when he looked more like an infant than the great leader Will had known him as. "A sparkling. Now, this is what we want you to change. The time that must be fixed." Will gave a horrified gasp as the flower nearly wilted away in his hands. The colors had changed from a bright red to a muddy version and the blue into a dark yucky one. He saw Optimus glare at Ratchet and could tell right away that they were fighting. Optimus actually looked old, as strange as that was. "You are the only one that can fix this. The past and present are untouchable. But this-" she motioned to the almost dead flower "- can be molded to what you think it should be. You and you alone can do it. But I warn you. Annabelle, Sarah, Ironhide, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Epps. None of them can help you. No one. If you need to, call out to me or my father and we will do what we can."

"What about Optimus? I mean, this is his life. Can he help?" Will asked. The Allspark gave a smile that lit up her face with a new light. One sparked by his acceptance to help.

"You are a smart young man. You are right. This is his life. He may help you. But be careful what you say. No one but the two of you may know we've told you. And no one, not even Optimus, may know of the flower. If you tell, Optimus will pay. I'm afraid nothing comes free. You will understand more later. Now, I must show you the life your friends lead in the future. That way you may understand what we are asking you to do. But be warned, nothing in this time is good. In fact, much of it may be painful for you to deal with," the Allspark said.

"One more thing. You will continue to live your life that you have now. During that day, the future will be experiencing night. The opposite for when your current life is at night. It might be confusing now, but you will understand later. I will see you again soon my boy," Primus explained. The white room and Primus disappeared. Will found himself standing in a medical center. He didn't recognize any of it.

"Where are we?" Will asked. He looked to his left where the Allspark was standing.

"On Earth in the future. At the Autobot base. I must also tell you that since you can't just appear in this time period, we've already created a being with your personality for you to take over. Too much time has passed for you to fit in exactly as you are now. Humans have changed. You will see," the Allspark replied. Will noticed then that he was much taller than he should've been. Probably so that he could see everything properly. A hand wrapped around his and the Allspark led him into another room. Will couldn't stop the gasp from leaving his mouth or the widening of his eyes.

"Ratchet..." Will whispered. The Allspark nodded sadly. "What... What happened?"

"A virus wreaked havoc on the Cybertronian population. Many fell to it. Ratchet's been ill with it for a while. His case is terminal. The virus even attacked Optimus, but he was able to recover," she replied as Will approached the berth slowly.

Ratchet looked horrible. His condition reminded Will of how Jetfire had looked. The Autobot medic seemed to be almost falling apart. His optics remained unfocused and had a green tint to them. His paint was almost completely gone. The metal beneath looked slightly rusted over. And Will knew Autobot normally didn't rust.

"He can't see me, can he?" Will asked. The Allspark shook her head.

"You are here to observe and learn. You will be able to speak with him at a later time. I promise you that he will not perish before you get a chance," The Allspark said. Will sighed in misery. How would he even be able to help with something like this? To him, it seemed impossible. "Come. We must move on. The next place will be hard for you. But remember, you still have your actual life when none of this has happened."

She took his hand again and this time they appeared in a long darkly lit hallway. She led him down it. Lining the walls were what looked like huge drawers. Each one had a golden nameplate. None of the names scratched into them seemed familiar to Will. When they stopped walking the Allspark pointed to one a few steps away. Will felt his heart break at the realization of where they were. The pain of it all was at least tripled at the name she was pointing at. Ironhide. "You mean he's..."

"He went off-line many years before this. No one could've stopped it. I'm so sorry. I know you are close to him." Will nodded. "You can take a moment before we continue. I understand."


	2. Telling Optimus

"Where do I even fit in all of this?" Will asked, waving his arms around in frustration. He'd toured the area, 'met' the people, saw the bots, and gotten a very detailed description of what was going on. And yet, every time he brought up his own part in everything, the Allspark seemed to dance around the subject. "What about Prime? You haven't shown me him."

"I haven't shown him to you because the first time you do see him here will also be the first time you meet him. The woman you will call your mother knows him well though," the Allspark replied smoothly. The rasp of her voice was even harsher though as she spoke. "I can only keep you here so long. I'm quickly running out of time. I must return you to your true life. We may continue this tonight. A certain Autobot Commander is awake in your time."

That was the only warning Will received. He was suddenly just sitting on his bed. He glanced at the clock which read 2:00 AM. What was Optimus doing up, anyways? He got up as quickly as possible, and found himself running towards the Autobot hangers.

Now, the hangers were off-limits to humans for a reason. The twins had a habit of bickering and fighting in the hallways. And the larger Autobots, such as Optimus and Ironhide, didn't always watch where they stepped when in those hangers.

Towards the area where humans were allowed was the Autobot section of the med bay. The personal quarters lined the hallway, with the last door leading to the firing range. The firing range though, was one area that the humans only had to have an Autobot escort to visit. They could also enter it without going through the Autobot section by just walking around that section. About halfway down the hallway, on the right hand side, was Optimus' office.

A light spilled from the room, alerting Will to exactly where Optimus was. There was little sound coming from there though, which lead Will to believe that the Autobot leader was alone. He approached the door quickly.

"Optimus?" He cursed the fact that his voice sounded timid and frightened.

"William?" Optimus asked, standing to see over the desk clearly. Confusion was etched into his face as he regarded the tiny human standing in the doorway. "What are you doing up? And in the Autobot hallway..."

"I need to talk to you. Alone. Now's a perfect time if you're not busy," Will responded. Optimus' expression didn't change even as he motioned for Will to join him. The door slid closed as soon as Will was inside.

"What is it that you need to talk to me about?" Optimus gently prodded. He flattened a servo out on the ground to allow Will to get on. The soldier did easily, getting off when he was lifted to the desk.

"I... met Primus. And the Allspark in human form. I need to talk to you about it," Will stated. Optimus feel silent, but nodded. "It has a lot to do with you. I mean, it's your future they're showing me. I'm supposed to change it." That was all he managed to say before both males were briefly blinded by a white light. They regained their sight at exactly the same time.

Will found that he stood at the same height as Optimus, whether or not he had grown or Optimus had shrunk was beyond him. The same white room stretched out before them, except for the beautiful flower. Will bit his lip. It would be harder to not want to bring it up than he thought.

"Well come now, children. I shall not hurt you," a very familiar voice called. Will felt Optimus tense beside him in confusion, and he spared a quick reassuring smile for the Autobot. He lead Optimus forward, even taking the same seat at the table as he did the last time he was there.

"Where are we?" Optimus asked; or really, mumbled.

"You are in my realm, Optimus. Do you not remember who I am?" Primus asked. Recognition flashed across Optimus' optics which drew a smile from Primus. "Peace Bringer, I brought you here to explain the danger you are in. It is unfair to force William to do so."

"Peace Bringer? That... that's your title. Danger? My lord, what are you talking about?" Optimus questioned, pained bewilderment tainting his voice.

"My son, be patient. You are the Peace Bringer among the Cybertronians. You will end the war. Megatron will fall at your blade. My title of bringing peace is also yours. Treasure it. But you are in horrible danger. This danger is one that you cannot face. William must face it for you."

"I don't understand," Optimus objected, stressing the last word the most. Primus sighed, which was a first in the brief meetings Will had had with him.

"Young Optimus, you must be willing to accept our father's words before you will be able to understand anything," a rasping young female voice broke in. Optimus jolted badly at the sound, but he quickly regained his composure. "We will not allow you to perish without some defense. You yourself can't do anything to avoid it. You must trust us. You must trust Will."

"'Sparks, be patient with him. It will be difficult for you to fully accept this Optimus, but you are on a path that leads to self-destruction," Primus interrupted. When Optimus tried to speak, Primus did something that worked to frighten both of his guest. "You have to try to listen!"

Primus raised a hand angrily, ripping a gasp from all three of the others in the room. Optimus scrambled backwards, dumping the chair he had been seated on, nearly falling as he did so. All at once, in a matter of seconds, Primus aged Optimus. His armor became the muddy reds and ugly blues that Will had seen in the flower. Rust coated his servos along with the metal of his neck and the side of his face. His left optic became a sick green in color, dimming and brightening randomly. His right servo clutched a cane that had appeared while this was happening. His balance was horribly off, meaning that he would've fallen if the Allspark hadn't moved very quickly to stand behind him. He looked like one fall would turn him into a pile of rust.

"Father!" The Allspark cried out. Primus returned Optimus to his normal state, but both looked like they would collapse at any moment.

"What... did... you do?" Will asked, fear filling his voice to the brim.

"I showed him only part of what could happen if he doesn't heed my warnings. Now, children, you must listen. Optimus, it is your life that this affects, not his. If he fails, you die a horrible pain filled death, alone. If he succeeds, you survive, possibly even recover," Primus responded. His eyes were focused on Optimus. The Autobot leader was struggling to get his intakes under control, along with calming his spark.

"Optimus," Will called gently. The Autobot didn't look up from where he was staring at on the floor. Will shifted his chair over before wrapping an arm around his friend. He just sat there until Optimus was able to look him in the eyes.


End file.
